On the most recent Kerry kerfuffle put me down as one who thinks that Kerry was referring to Bush and the Bush Administration. I don’t much care for Kerry and this whole incident highlights why that might be.
Mr. Kerry’s comment was doubly inept since, beyond the potential for misinterpretation which has been so obvious, despite Mr. Bush’s shortcomings he’s probably smarter than Mr. Kerry. I chalk this up to the political environment in Massachusetts where apparently senators are elected for life and can do no wrong.
It genuinely saddens me that every criticism these days comes down to either claims of malfeasance or attacks on the intelligence or character of the opponent. It doesn’t need to be that way.
It is perfectly possible for two different people (let alone two different administrations) to look at the same data and come to completely different conclusions. If it were otherwise, horseraces would be impossible.
Let’s not claim that our opponents are evil, lied, or stupid. Mistaken is enough.
See a tongue-in-cheek posting that employs the same GOP tactic used in relation to Senator Kerry to creatively interpret remarks made by the President in the most unfavorable manner…here:
http://www.thoughttheater.com
Kerry has only himself to blame for the supposed misperception (I’m still on the fence) because of previous comments and his statements afterward. As someone who’s been to Afghanistan (but not yet to Iraq), I have to agree with Democratic strategist Kirsten Powers:
Andy,
Kirsten Power’s summation of the Kerry “kerfuffle” is the best I’ve heard yet. Kerry is being disingenuous. “There is nothing funny about Iraq.” is a truthful statement, no matter which side of the debate you’re on.
Kerry was not joking.
The art of insult should be left to those who have a talent for it. Kerry may well have intended to throw off a stinging taunt towards Bush, but if so, he failed yet again. Kerry is incapable of bringing off a memorable quote and a well-done slight is beyond his comprehension.
If we could compare intellects and measure political acumen by how one delivers a paragraph, especially one supposedly written in advance (and presumably practiced) we could arrive at the conclusion that perhaps John Kerry is the George W. Bush of American politics.
I don’t think Kerry is evil, certainly, but I do think that he is of the school that feels that America is the prime cause of evil in the world. So at the least he is misguided. Moreover, though, I think that for a very large proportion of Americans with that belief, they actually view themselves as American citizens only in a provisional sense: they are Americans to the extent that America reflects their preferences and choices. So if Kerry is in that group, he’s not merely misguided, not merely unpatriotic, but also disagrees with the fundamental basis of our civil society, or at least of the Republic that governs that society.
And note Kerry’s riposte that, as a veteran, he would not call 140000 American troops stupid. As a veteran, while Vietnam was winding down, he called far more American troops war criminals. So I don’t think he is credible in his response.
Dan! Good to see you’re still around. I thought you might have fallen into a hole or something… 😉
BTW if you ever happen to find yourself in Chicago…
No hole Dave, just a shallow gutter.
And you know I love you, but you will not find me in Chicago until after the Winter’s done her worst.